Just got back from a great experience at Opal Divine's. Upon arriving I was quickly approached by my waiter to get my drink order. It was very comforting to know he was a fellow beer snob and enjoys IPA's as I do. The selection has a nice rotation of seasonal brews, however it seems Austin as a whole has been running out of some for the last month, including Real Ale Lost Gold IPA (cask), and Sierra Nevada Southern Hop Harvest--so neither were available. But it was no problem since they also have a plethora of local brews on tap (and it happened to be $2.50/pint Texas beer night). I first went with a superb (512) cask conditioned IPA, followed by a Rogue I^2 PA (imperial IPA) which was suggested by the waiter--accompanied by a nice sized free tasting. Then closed out the night with another great offering from (512) Brewing, their Pecan Porter.

We started off with some really tasty pickle chips and some mini corn dogs to help soak up some of the alcohol, and then all had entrees later. I ended up getting the "Round-A-Bout" burger, which has spinach, grilled onions, garlic, bacon, and smoked provolone. Pun intended--it was divine. Another person with me had the Bandera burger, with bacon, onion rings, bbq sauce and other goodness, which they loved. The third person had fish & chips, which she said rivaled the coveted Dog & Duck's.

Price for a party of 3, with 2 happy hour appetizers, a total of 8 quality beers, and 3 entrees was about $70. A very good deal in my eyes.

On the north side of town, Opal Divine's is more of a restaurant than a bar, but at night the bar side takes over (as indicated by the condom dispensers in the mens bathroom).

It's a cute little place with beautiful stone walls and lots of wood. And as usual, the outside deck is a big draw in Austin. They have very, very good food (try the Zihautanejo Shrimp Tacos $9.95), and brunch is a big thing on Saturdays and Sundays from 10am until 3pm. Entrees run in the $9 to $12 range, with burgers, sandwiches and wraps more in the $7 to $8 range.

The tiny bar area is my favorite spot, and it offers two booths, three hightop tables, one small round table that seats 6, and about 6 seats at the all too tiny bar.

The beers more than make up for that, and they've got a great selection in addition to a marvelous variety of scotches. The 24 taps are all good, and they feature all of the Live Oak beers. Shiner Bock and Dos Equis are required, of course, and they also have the usual regular imports of Guinness, Harp, Smithwick's, and Newcastle.

Bottles offer a little more play, and delve into the Belgians with Chimay, Duvel, and Unibroue. Belhaven and Sam Smith's round out the UK.

Finally, they also sell cigars, but I never saw anyone light up. Good selection though.

Swung by this place on a Monday after some apartment shopping in Austin.

Outdoor seating was the hot ticket, and the lady and I enjoyed people/car watching on busy 6th street. Great, rustic wooden exterior and the inside looked like it had some comfortable seating. Waitstaff was prompt and friendly, and brought out our food rather quickly (but not too quick like some places). I had the shrimp tacos which could have been served a bit warmer, but were still good (maybe hunger is the best spice, because the spices/ranch sauce was a touch bland on second thought). Still, though, my gf enjoyed her portabello mushroom sandwich.

The beer selection was decently extensive, but I've seen better. A nice list of belgians (nothing too exotic) and locals. The (512) Pecan porter and LiveOak IPA both hit the spot. Prices were reasonable...a few menu items looked a bit pricey, as did a few beer prices, but nothing outrageous. I'll likely be revisiting this place once I move to Austin.

My second stop after arriving in Austin for a few days of fun including good beer, food and music.

A very large place by all accounts with a good amount of indoor and outdoor seating. We sat outside at a table as the day was slowly turning to night. I'll get to the beer selection in a minute, but worth noting is that they offer a very extensive selection of single malt scotch, tequilas, mixed drinks and hot drinks.

Opal Divine's has great specials too including the Two for Texas! special on Wednesday while I was there that includes $2.50 for any Texas based beer from open to close. This was a great deal as I explored different offerings from (512) and Live Oak. This was the place where I had my first Pecan Porter that was absolutely delicious.

I tried the Roasted Poblano Hummus Dip that was really tasty. There is a special appetizer menu that is 1/2 price from 4 PM - 7 PM, Monday-Friday.

Service was really good, with a waiter that was friendly and attentive. Certainly one of the better bars that we went during our stay in Austin. We had hoped to come back for a return visit, but there was just too much to do and see. I liked this place.

The first thing I noticed when approaching Opal's was the two-story patio that welcomes you in. While the view is only the traffic (foot and vehicle) on 6th street, the vibe is friendly and congenial. The patio has a nice mix of larger picnic type tables and smaller 4 person ones. This is a group friendly spot.

I also knew I found the right place as there was a Duval van parked next to the side patio.

As you enter, there is a dart room on your left. The tiny bar is off to your right. The bar only seats about 8. The rest appears to be dinning areas.

The crowd is a nice mix of students, business folks and regulars. I bet this changes a bit on weekends.

The service was friendly, attentive but not hovering. I liked that they knew the menu.

24 regular taps, 6 rotating taps including a cask option. 14 Belgian style bottles (Monday is Belgian night with a nice discount) and 16 craft bottles and 6 BMC bottles add to your choices. I like the emphasis on Belgians and TX crafts. I think any beer person will find about 60 percent of their offerings are quality

Note they have a massive scotch selection and even offer flights (sampler trays). It is an impressive list!

The food menu is fairly large and should hold a few choices for just about anyone. I thought my shrimp tacos were a smidgen above average due to the perfectly ripe avocado and the corn-black bean salsa.

Another fine addition to the Austin British pub scene, Opal Divines is a split level building on the west end of Sixth Street, built in what appears to be an old converted house with just as much outdoor seating as what youll find inside. They have around two dozen well selected taps, a mixture of seasonals, local brews and import favorites. The staff is very attentive and the food just this side of above average - some food items are just mediocre while others are friggin great, such as the unique-to-Opals Philly cheese steak tacos (theyre exactly what they sound like). Opals fosters an extremely laid back attitude and if youre sitting inside the jukebox has one of the best selections in town (assuming your tastes dont run toward Sting or Garth). Opals opened about four years ago and has done well enough for itself that they have a new location opening this month down on South Congress, near St Edwards University. As for the original location, with Mother Egans and newbie the Molotov Lounge across the street Opals is helping to anchor a new alternative pub scene just outside the chaos of the rest of downtown. When youre stopping off at Whole Foods to check out their beer selection be sure and drop in on Opals on the way back to the house.

Opal's is a decent Austin staple with a solid local beer selection (they'll get some of the interesting local releases) and with ok food. The vibe is definitely nice and fits the Austin style (been to the north and central locations).

From a pure beer perspective it's selection is decent, but not amazing. There are definitely places in Austin to find more interesting beers from far off places but Opals performs solidly in most dimensions. Prices are definitely good and service is solid and reasonably knowledgeable.

I liked the location (close to the hotel we were staying at) and the vibe of the place, though I didn't see the whole place as we sat outside. The selection was pretty good. They carried a lot of local brews, but not a whole lot more outside of that...which was perfectly fine as the TX locals are great and worthy of any-time drinking. Service was a bit sluggish. It was kinda busy at the time, but the server just seemed more absent minded than busy. Also, it was quite apparent that the bartenders weren't quite craft-minded. They took my wonderful Live Oak Hefeweizen, and put it in a frozen glass! Killed the head, and the aroma and diminished the taste a bit. Food was mighty tasty, and I was mighty hungry, so the other slight follies were easily over-looked.